Exit-door control.



W. I. RESNIKOFF.

EXIT DOOR CONTROL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18, 1914.

1, 1 1 2,323. K Patented Sept. 29, 1914. i Q 3 INVENTOR A TTORNEYS h WITNESSES IIHE MORRIS PEYERS C0,. PHOTO-urns WASHINGTON. D. C.

section showing the door open; and Fig. 3'

WALTER I. RESNIKOFF, or NEW YORK, N. Y.-

EXIT-DOOR CONTROL.

Specification. of Letters Patent. Patented S t, 29 1914 Application filed March 18, 1914. Serial No. 825,648.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, WALTER I. Rasmnorr, a citizen of. the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented anew and Improved Exit-Door Control,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. j

My invention relates to means for automatically unlocking exit doors, and has ref. erence more particularly to doors leading to fire-escapes.

The fire ordinance for factories requires a manufacturer to maintain the factory doors leading to fire-escapes unlocked, and

the unobservance of the rule is punished by heavy fines and imprisonment. It is necessary to lock the doors every night to prevent theft; and very often by inadvertence the doors remain locked during the morning of the working day; thus, the rules of the fire ordinance are broken unintentionally and no excuse can be pleaded.

To obviate the above objections, I have devised a door structure which is normally locked, which automatically unlocks when the same is approached from the interior side, in which the means for unlocking the door remain inoperative as long as the door remains open, and automatically becomes operative as soon as the door is closed.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, strong, and inexpensive device for automatically unlocking the door, which has few movable parts apt to get out of order, and which is automatic in its action.

I obtain the above object by the diagrammatic representation of the device illustrated in the accompanying drawing formin g a part of the specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corre-' sponding parts in all the views and wherein- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a door structure embodymg my invention showing the door closed; Fig. 2 1s a similar is a horizontal, transverse section on line 3 3, Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 4: represents an exit-door opening exteriorly and leading from the building to a fire-escape 5. The door preferably carries a bracket 6 which is adapted to be engaged by a door-locking bolt 7 mounted to slide alongside the frame 7 The door,

and guided in its movement at its upper end ad acent the bracket 6 by a bracket 8 secured to the door frame. The bolt at its lower end is pivotally secured to a pedal 9 ad acent its free side. The other side of thepedal is hinged to the floor 10. The

free end of the pedal is raised from the floor by a pair of resilient members 11 secured to the floor, whereby the bolt 7 is maintained 1n engagement withthe bracket 6 of the door, thereby locking the door (see Fig. 1). When a person steps on the pedal 9,.the free end of the same is depressed, carrying therewith ,the door bolt 7 which disengages the bracket 6 of the door, leaving the door free to move outwardly toward the fire-escape 5. if desired, maybe provided with spring hinges normally tending to force the door open. j

To preventfthe bolt 7 from regaining its locking position when the door is open, catches- 12 are provided toretain the pedal in. the depressedposition. The catches-l2 are pivotally connected, on a common pivot 12, suitably secured tothe floor 10 under the pedal 9. The pedal 9 is provided with aperturesl3 through which said catches are adapted to .project when the same is depressed by the weight of the person standing thereon. A spring 14 tends to move the catches 12 so that they will engage the pedaland prevent the raising of the same under theaction of thesprings 11. A slide 15 is positioned between the door 4 and one of the catches 12, so that when the door a is opened by the displacement of the pedal 9 under the weight of a person, the spring 1 1 moves the catches into operative position and retains the depressed pedal. The spring will also move the slide 15 from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 2 and, therefore, the pedal 9 will remain in the depressed or inoperative position as long asthe door 4 is open. But when the door 4: is moved into closed position, it will engage in its closing movement the slide 15 and force the catches 12 to dis: engage the pedal 9, thus releasing the pedal, which will move the bolt 7 into engagement with the bracket 6 of the door and thereby lock the door. It is understood that the resiliency of the springs 11 which carry the pedal 9 are so adjusted as to give under a proper weight.

It will be noted that by means of the device disclosed herein, the door, being opened a fire, as the door will unlock as. soon as a person has stepped on'the pedal 9 and the door can then be opened by the person standing on the pedal, and the door will remain open until the door is purposely closed. It may be further remarked that the device for unlocking the door-is only operable from the inner side, no portion of v the mechanism being operable from the outside of the building, thus the device is burglar-proof.

V The operation of the door is as follows: A person approaching'the door interiorly must step on the pedal 9 to reach the door,

thus causing a downward movement of the pedal 9, which movement of the pedal disengages the bolt 7 from'the bracket 6 carried by the door, whereby the door is unlocked and can be opened by the person standing on the pedal. The downward movement of the pedal and the opening of the door will permit the spring 14 to force the catch 12 in engagement with the pedal, thus the bolt 7 is prevented from returning to its normal position untilthe door 4 is moved back to its closed position. When ,the door t is moved to its closed position it will engage the slide 15', whichwill disengage the catch 12 from the pedal 9, thus releasing the pedal, which, under the action of the springs 11 will move the bolt 7 into engagement with the bracket '6 and lock the door again.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In an exit-door control, a door adapted .to open exteriorly; a pedal mounted to swing to and from the floor on the inner side of the door; a door bolt carried by the free end of the pedal; means for guiding the bolt on the door frame; resilient means normally raising the free end of the pedal from the floor whereby the bolt engages the door, said free end of the pedal being adapted to move toward the floor when a prcdetermined weight is placed thereon, thus disengaging the bolt from the door; means adapted to project through and engage the pedal when the free end thereof is depressed toward the floor and the door is open, and retain said pedal in said depressed position; and means positioned intermediate said first mentioned means and the door whereby when said door is closed said first mentioned means release the pedal, thus raising the free end of the pedal from the floor and looking the door by means of the bolt.

2. In an exit-door control, a door adapted to be opened exteriorly; a pedal pivotally connected with one side to the floor, the side free to move being adjacent the door; a bolt pivotally connected to the pedal adjacent the side free to move; means for guiding the bolt on the door frame; means carried by the door adapted to be engaged by said bolt;

resilient means normally raising the free side of the pedal whereby the bolt locks the door, the movable side of the pedal adapted to be depressed to the floor by a predetermined Weight placed on the pedal whereby the bolt unlocks the door, said pedal having apertures therein; catches carried by the floor adapted to project through said apertures when the pedal is depressed; a resilient member associated with the catches and normally tending to force said catches into engagement with said pedal when the same is depressed; and a slide positioned intermediate the door and said catches, said slide being movable by the spring ongaging the catches when the door is open and, by the door when the same is moved tothe closing position, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WALTER I. RESNIKOFF.

Witnesses BENEDICT Jorrn, PHILIP RoLm-IAUs.

copies of thispatent; may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, v Washington, 1). c. 

